1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a portable computer, and more particularly, to a portable computer having an improved latch apparatus by which an LCD assembly is locked to and released from a main body of the portable computer and to a portable computer having an opening unit which aids the latch apparatus in opening the portable computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional portable computer 101. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional portable computer 101 comprises a main body 110; an LCD (liquid crystal display) assembly 120 rotatably combined to the main body 110; and a latch apparatus 131, 133 and 135, provided in the main body 110 and the LCD assembly 120 and which locks/releases the LCD assembly 120 against/from the main body 110.
A main board (not shown) is mounted inside the main body 110 and provided with a CPU (central processing unit), a RAM (random access memory), and other well known operational parts. A keyboard 113 and a touch pad 111 employed as an input unit are provided on the main body 110.
The LCD assembly 120 includes an LCD casing 121, an LCD panel 123 accommodated in the LCD casing 121, and a backlight unit (not shown). The LCD panel 123 receives a video signal from the main body 110 and displays a picture. The backlight unit transmits plane light to the LCD panel 123 and illuminates the picture displayed on the LCD panel 123 to be shown to a user.
The latch apparatus includes a latch hole 131 provided on a front edge part of the main body 110 and a latch member 133 provided at a free end of the LCD assembly 120. The latch member 133 is locked to and released from the latch hole 131 to respectively close and open the portable computer 101. A knob 135 moves the latch member 133 between locking and releasing positions.
In the conventional portable computer 101, in order to open the LCD assembly 120 from the main body 110, the knob 135 is moved from the locking position to the releasing position so as to release the latch member 133 from the latch hole 131, and then the LCD assembly 120 is upwardly rotated away from the main body 110 around A hinge member 155.
However, in the structure of the latch apparatus according to the conventional portable computer 101, because the knob 135 must be moved from the locking position to the releasing position in order to release the latch member 133 from the latch hole 131, the latch apparatus of the portable computer 101 is inconvenient to handle in comparison with a one-touch structure.
Further, in the latch apparatus of the portable computer 101, it is difficult to operate the latch apparatus with one hand. That is, the knob 135 must be moved by one hand from the locking position to the releasing position while the main body is held by the other hand so as to release the latch member 133 from the latch hole 131 in order to rotate the LCD assembly 120 away from the main body 110.